Quality of primary care processes for individuals with chronic diseases associated with the metabolic syndrome: a comparative study.
Prim Health Care Res Dev 2011;
12:370-8. [PMID:
21777498 DOI:
10.1017/s1463423611000272]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM
The aim of this study is to investigate whether individuals diagnosed with chronic diseases associated with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) receive favorable quality of care processes in the primary care setting relative to other individuals with and without chronic diseases.
BACKGROUND
Data from the 2010 Brazos Valley Health Status Assessment (BVHSA) (n = 3964) were analyzed. Individuals diagnosed with chronic diseases that are collectively associated with a diagnosis of MetS, namely obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension, were characterized as a group (ie, analytic sample, n = 168). Clinical guidelines were utilized to identify indicators representing the quality of care processes received by these individuals during visits with their health-care provider.
METHOD
Measures of quality of care processes were analyzed relative to a comparator group comprising individuals with no chronic diseases and an alternative test group comprising those diagnosed with other chronic diseases (eg, arthritis, depression, and cancer among others) using multinomial and binary logistic regression.
FINDINGS
Physician communication of critical issues such as diet, stress, and weight status was statistically more pronounced in the analytic sample relative to the comparator group. However, differences in physician communication about physical activity were not statistically significant relative to the comparator group (OR = 1.26, P = 0.533). Differences in testing of cholesterol (OR = 0.94, P = 0.743) and blood pressure (OR = 1.16, P = 0.619) were also not statistically significant relative to the comparator group. Individuals who may have MetS generally receive favorable quality of care processes from their health-care provider, but opportunities exist to enhance provider communication about physical activity, and to possibly improve frequency of cholesterol and blood pressure testing.
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